2026 Oregon Muslims’ Lit Fest & Book Fair ft. Omar El Akkad

Flamur+Vehapi — Mon, 30 Mar 2026 15:39:41 +0000

Join us April 12, 12-5pm, to celebrate local authors, artists, and book lovers!
Featuring guest speaker Omar El Akkad.

Join the Oregon Muslim community for our third annual literature festival and book fair which will feature:

Guest speaker Omar El Akkad will be doing a Q&A and book signing.
Omar El Akkad is an award-winning Oregon author who has written short stories, novels (American War and What Strange Paradise), and a nonfiction memoir/sociopolitical reckoning (One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This). (We will have limited copies available for purchase, so bring your books from home for the signing!)
Books
Calligraphy class
Kids’ crafts
Local authors
Local artists and artisans
Food
Community orgs

Sponsored by The Crescent Institute, Bilal Mosque Association, Islamic Community Center of Hillsboro, and Islamic Society of Greater Portland. A community-powered event!

If you are a local author/artist, local business owner, community organizer, etc., there is still time to sign up as a vendor for the book fair. Please sign up here! This is a free event and there are no fees to be a vendor or to attend.

♦ Connected Reading ♦

One Day, Everyone Will Have Always Been Against This
by Omar El Akkad

Order here

American War
by Omar El Akkad

Order here

What Strange Paradise
by Omar El Akkad

Order here

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The post 2026 Oregon Muslims’ Lit Fest & Book Fair ft. Omar El Akkad appeared first on TheCrescentBooks.

France in Islamic History: la Grande Mosquée de Paris

Flamur+Vehapi — Sun, 02 Nov 2025 22:00:40 +0000

Built in 1922-1926, the Grand Mosque was the first mosque in France’s metropolitan area. Its 33-meter (108-ft) tall minaret stands as a pillar of community in the historical 5th arrondissement of Paris.

During the German occupation (1940-44), the Mosque became a shelter for Jewish families and children, as well as resistance fighters.

Starting in the 1980s, the Mosque addressed the need for more places of worship and burial space to better serve France’s growing Muslim populations. This also involved the creation of the Al-Ghazali Institute in 1993 for imam training and a halal certification service in 1994.

Today the Grand Mosque’s full complex in Paris includes a prayer hall, garden, hammam (for women), restaurant, and tea room, while its Al-Ghazali Institute has locations in Martigues and Marseille.

Sources:
https://www.la-mosquee.com/
https://www.mosqueedeparis.net/

Photo credit:
Zairon, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.

♦ Connected Reading ♦

The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust
by Karen Gray Ruelle & Deborah Durland Desaix

Order here

An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi’s Visit To France 1826-1831

by Rifa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi,
Translated & Introduced by Daniel L. Newman

The post France in Islamic History: la Grande Mosquée de Paris appeared first on TheCrescentBooks.

Muslim World Connections Archives - TheCrescentBooks

2026 Oregon Muslims’ Lit Fest & Book Fair ft. Omar El Akkad

France in Islamic History: la Grande Mosquée de Paris